IBM and Matheson Tri-Gas to Collaborate on Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology

ARMONK, NY and BASKING RIDGE, NJ | Posted on April 28th, 2008

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) and Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc., the largest subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Japan, announced today that they have signed a unique, four-year agreement to jointly develop new manufacturing materials and processes that will enable the next generation of semiconductor technology for 32nm and beyond. The agreement marks the first time Matheson Tri-Gas/Taiyo Nippon Sanso and IBM have collaborated on semiconductor technology.

As the semiconductor industry transitions from one technology generation to the next, manufacturers must rapidly develop new approaches to manage shrinking device circuitry. In order to continue to innovate at the transistor level in successive technology generations, IBM will collaborate with Matheson Tri-Gas/Taiyo Nippon Sanso to research and develop new high purity gas molecules and new delivery systems for the manufacturing of atomic-scale semiconductors. Engineers from the two companies and Matheson Tri-Gas' parent company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, will conduct joint research and development at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Albany NanoTech Complex.

"Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group including Matheson Tri-Gas' cutting-edge source gases and advanced purification equipment, when integrated with IBM's state-of-the-art CMOS research capabilities, enables both companies to accelerate the pace of semiconductor innovation," said Bernie Meyerson, vice president Strategic Alliances and chief technical officer for IBM Systems & Technology Group. "In our business model where we pool individual research strengths and intellectual property, we are able to reduce the significant costs associated with the research required to create the next generation of chip technology."

"This relationship between Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Matheson Tri-Gas, and IBM sends a clear message to the global semiconductor community that the collaborative model that IBM and its partners have chosen is attractive for partners specializing in material, chemical and gas based solutions to technical challenges of the twenty-first century," said Bill Kroll, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Matheson Tri-Gas.

"This relationship with IBM will enable the Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group to position itself as a leading edge material supplier in the semiconductor material market beyond 32nm," said Mike Hara, senior managing director of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation.